Black Orchid
by Steefwaterbutter
Summary: Fifteen years ago, there was the sound of screaming. Fifteen years ago Jhade's brother vanished in a blaze of blue light. Fifteen years without a d then that scatterbrained idiot of a druid had to drop in front of her with the key to finding him. Inspired by a "character arc" that my DM thought up, and we never got around to playing. So I just decided to write it instead ;)
1. Chapter 1

**_Good evening, internet!_**

 _ **This is a story that has been a long time in the making. It was originally created by my DM, then modified and expanded into the story you see now. When our group first created our characters, we were told to create them with a specific "goal" in life, ie freeing a friend who was wrongly accused, getting revenge on the man who killed your family... rescuing a brother who had mysteriously disappeared. And then we would each get a turn playing through these character arcs.**_

 _ **Unfortunately, things ended up falling apart, and we never got to Jhade's arc. I was rather disappointed but decided to just go ahead and ask the DM what he had planned. Thus I must credit him with the initial backbone of the story, though I did take quite a few liberties to shape it into the story I wanted.**_

 _ **This story actually has another side to it. My good friend ElleryMelody (also on FFN) has written a version of this story from her character Odell's point-of-view. If people are interested in seeing it, I'll see if I can convince her to post a chapter or two of it, haha.**_

 _ **(Also, shout out to my alpha reader (and memelord supremo) apaz and my beta reader cosette141!)**_

 _ **This story also contains quite a few "references," so just ask if you're curious as to the backstory of a character or the meaning behind something that was said, just ask!**_

 _ **Enjoy!**_

* * *

She wasn't sure when she first started noticing it.

That flash of fear in her brother's eyes.

The one that she told herself was nothing because Murdoch was never afraid of anything. She was the one who was scared, but the one who swallowed her fear because Murdoch would grab her sleeve and tell her it'd all be worth it. And it was: the moonlit games of pirates and robbers in the garden with the pond alive with singing bullfrogs and crickets, the view of the whole world from the jutting edge of a cliff, Murdoch's face filled with a crazed grin as his hair flopped over into his eyes, bright and green as the leaves when the sun would shine through them.

Perhaps—

Perhaps it had started that one day, only a few days after they had turned eight. She was sitting crosslegged in front of one of the seven-foot windows with the fancy curtains, watching the world from behind that pane of glass, that barrier of protection from the elements. It was interesting to think how such a small thing could cut her off so completely from the outside world—

"Jhade? Jhade! _JHAAAAAADE_!"

Jhade let out a sigh and turned her head, raising an eyebrow as Murdoch came tearing down the corridor.

"What is it, Murdoch?" she asked, giving another loud sigh to let him know how he had disturbed her.

"Okay, okay, okay, so, uh," he began, throwing out his hands, breath coming in gasps. "I think I just found a whole new species of frog, like this frog is different than any other frog I've ever seen, he's, like, I think he's orange and—"

"You bruised your face again," Jhade said, frowning. Murdoch jerked back, raising his hand and scrubbing at it. His grin faltered.

"Probably just dirt or something, anyway—"

" _Murdoch_? Where have you run off to?"

There it was. The booming voice of Lady Ondine that could be heard throughout the entire manor. The one that she reserved for when she was especially… displeased. The one that made even Father take a step back.

(But not Murdoch, never Murdoch, he wasn't afraid of anything.)

"Ah, crap," Murdoch said, before grabbing Jhade's hand and pulling her to her feet. Jhade let out yet another sigh.

"You know we're only going to get in more trouble if we run."

Murdoch flashed a grin. That was when she saw it. That flicker of fear in his eyes, that tightened grip on her hand. "We won't get in trouble if they can't find us."

And with that, they were off, running as fast as they could down the corridor, bursting out the front door, leaping through the garden into the woods beyond, Jhade giggling so hard she could barely breathe, all other thoughts gone except for the thrill of a daring, and very successful escape.

"Jhade?"

"Mmhm," Jhade muttered.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well, you haven't made a move for over three minutes, and I just thought I'd let you know Balasar took his chances and stole just about all your cards." Odell's voice held an equal mixture of humor and concern.

"Hm?" Jhade jerked her head up just in time to see the dragonborn take a large slurp of ale, mouth curving into a toothy, and some would say downright vicious grin, his clawed hand full of cards. She pulled a face. "Bala _sar_. That's not how this game works! Stop making that disgusting noise."

"It is exactly how the game works when one's partner has taken to staring off into the distance for hours at a time," the dragonborn replied.

She shot him a scowl and lifted her own cup of tea, taking a few swallows of the soothing warm liquid.

She had begun using tea as her alternative to alcohol not too long after their latest misadventure with the Lord Renaud. It had started by looking for something to help Odell, who had been rather… shaken… by the events—no, it was more than that, something had changed, something had happened—and she'd often heard that tea was a good way to help people relax. She began by dabbling in the various herbal teas for the older man, but then she had discovered this… what did they call it? Caffeinated tea. It turned out to be quite delicious, especially when one was generous with the sugar.

They had all decided to put a hold on the adventuring for a while, to give themselves a bit of a breather to step back and recover from the months of chaos they had gone through. Owen was still with his family and Balasar, after a bit of grumbling, decided that it might be nice to spend some time deciding what exactly to do with all his treasure. Odell had no such protests, and so they had found a quiet town, squirreling away in an inn and watching the winter's snow fade into a wet spring.

"All I'm saying is," said Balasar. "I really don't see what you found so interesting about that wooden pillar you kept staring at."

"I wasn't—I was just… thinking," Jhade said. She set down her cards (Balasar had just about won the game anyway) and grabbed her cup with both hands, taking another swallow of tea to help loosen the knot in her stomach.

With all this free time, she'd been thinking about him more and more lately. Their adventures together. Their hideouts in the woods.

Maybe it was because of the lack of ale. After all, it did have a way of forcing her into a slightly more optimistic state of mind. One where it didn't matter that her brother was missing, because she was Jhade, the greatest druid ever, and she could do anything.

But she couldn't do that anymore. Not when the mere smell of ale in a tavern threw her back into that memory of what had happened with Odell in Raven's Bluff. He'd come along to keep her from getting hurt, yet he was the one who ended up almost killed.

It was different, back when she was on her own, back when the she was the only one getting in trouble. Now there was a risk of her friends getting into trouble and— _I don't want to hurt myself anymore._

She'd considered drinking the last of her wine from Renaud's castle as a sort of last hurrah, then— _I want to be done with that place, I want to be done with drinking, I want to find my brother._

There it was again. Interrupting her thoughts, pulling her stomach back into a knot. She took a breath and let it out, letting the air ripple across the smooth surface of the tea.

"Just thinking," she repeated. Then she frowned, her gaze flicking up to scan the room. Magic. She felt a tug of magic, magic that felt… familiar somehow.

The world went completely blank.

A candle snuffed out, and the was room left in darkness.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Now the story is all written, I've just got to revise it all. Now, I'm horrifically slow at revising, but the second chapter is actually all ready to go, and winter break is just around the corner, I should be able to get out a chapter a week. Hopefully. XD_**

 ** _Review!_**


	2. Chapter 2

Grass. She could feel grass. Grass was good. Grass meant they were outside. Grass meant they hadn't been teleported to some cell, or torture chamber or…

Jhade blinked her eyes open. Soft, warm sunlight splashed over patches of scrubby grass and bushes, blanketing bits of broken branches, poking in between gnarled trees and their heavy green leaves. She was sitting down in almost the exact same position as she had been a moment before, as if someone had yanked out the chair from underneath her.

She glanced around. Balasar was already on his feet, stepping around the forest with one hand raised to stroke his chin, and Odell was in the process of getting up, his movements a bit stiff. Jhade took another glimpse around the forest. There was something about this place. It felt… almost familiar. It felt…

Jhade scrambled to her feet. The ground titled underneath her, and she stumbled back, hitting the dirt a mere second later.

"Are you okay, Jhade?"

"I'm fine, it's just…" Jhade stopped. She knew that voice. "Owen?"

The small red-haired thief gave her a slight smile, holding out a hand to help her up. For a moment, she simply stared, about to ask him if he was the reason they had all landed up here, then shut her mouth, taking his hand. His grip was strong, and for a brief second, she took comfort in it.

 _Oh, Owen, I've missed you._

"What are you doing here?" she asked, then shook her head. "I'm sorry, that sounded rather rude."

"I… don't really know," Owen said, his voice quiet, uncertain. "I was talking with my sister, and suddenly… here I am."

"It was much the same for us," Balasar said, then frowned. "It seems as though someone teleported us all here, without our consent, and, more importantly, without any explanation."

Jhade bit down hard on her lip. The more she looked around, the more convinced she became. That path right there, those scratch marks on that tree, the broken bits of board from where they'd tried (and failed) to build some sort of tree house. Her heart kept flinging itself against her ribs in that odd sort of way.

She was back.

Back in the very forest where her brother had disappeared fifteen years ago.

 _What's going on?_ Jhade thought. Her heartbeat skidded, a rock crashing down a flooded river. _What is going on?_

"It might be good to try and find our way out of these woods," Odell said. His rough, low voice jerked her out of her thoughts, the memory of flashing blue light. The sound of screaming. "And to try and figure out where we are."

Jhade cleared her throat. "I…" She swallowed, pulling down at the hem of her sleeve. "I know where we are."

Odell turned and gave her a look, as if about to ask her what she meant, but Balasar beat him to it. He cocked his head to the side, a drop of sunlight falling over that odd tricorn hat he always insisted on wearing.

"Whatever do you mean, Jhade? What is this place?"

She took a breath in, then let it out, choosing her words carefully. "These are the woods behind the manor where used to live. I… used to play in them a lot when I was young, so… I'm certain this is where we are."

The facts. Plain. Simple.

"Do you have any idea why we were brought here?" Odell asked, his tone soft.

Jhade shook her head. "No, but... I can at least show you the way out. There's a town nearby. It's a popular place for wizards, so perhaps we can find out there."

 _I know this place._

Just saying it out loud made it all the more real. _How many years…_

Jhade bit down on her lip again, wishing she still had her cup of tea. The number of years didn't matter.

That day.

The day she didn't return to the manor after a day of searching. The day when she just kept walking.

And now, she was back.

o

The back gardens were far wilder than she remembered them. The neat rows of tulips, lilies and bluebells had transformed into a swirling mess of color just starting to poke out from the wet ground, peeking around the few remaining snowdrifts. Foxglove leaned against the short wooden fence, just like she remembered it, and creeping vines tumbled down the sides of trees to spill out onto the path.

Memories.

Memories that burned behind her eyes, threatening to overwhelm her vision.

 _Keep your eyes down, and just get out._

A simple enough objective.

"Romantic?" The voice drifted towards them, coming from behind the cluster of peach trees. "Tch. My dearest Dagwood, nothing could be farther from the truth. This is not romantic, it's merely some… hodgepodge of chaos."

Every muscle and nerve in Jhade's body stiffened.

That voice.

 _Get out._

Then it released, a sort of laugh replacing it, though she bit it back before it could escape. They'd faced a dragon together. This was nothing. _Besides, it's not my fault they hate me_.

She strode forward, waving a hand at Balasar's raised eyebrows. She didn't dare look at Odell. The one who knew her past, the one who probably had already pieced it together.

"It's just the people who own this place; just ignore them."

It was hard to keep the shake out of her voice. It wasn't nothing. With every nerve in her body she wanted to bolt.

 _I don't want to see them again, I don't want to…._

"Jhade?" Odell's voice. "Are you—"

Her own voice cut him off, that voice in her head, repeating over and over, _just get out of here, just—_

"...Jhade? After all these years, is that _Jhade_?"

Jhade stopped, turned her head. "Lord Dagwood," she said, her tone even, measured.

Not "father." Not anymore.

The tall elf hurried forward, spreading his gloved hands wide, long, graying hair tumbling around his pale face that was so much lighter than hers. One more reminder of how different they were. "My goodness, girl, I almost didn't recognize you." He clamped a hand on her shoulder, and she almost flinched. "Your hair's a lot more tangled than it used to be. Where ever did you disappear to?" He let out soft chuckle, one that held more hurt than humor. "You nearly set the whole town ablaze with the rumors. With Murdoch disappearing, and then you, people were saying… well, they were saying our family must be cursed or something."

Then another figure stepped up to join him, and Jhade really did flinch.

Lady Ondine.

Her mahogany hair was pulled up into a severe bun, just like always, although it was streaked with more gray than Jhade remembered. Her long bony fingers interweaved with one another, the pose of an aristocratic woman. But her eyes flashed with a sort of cold rage.

"It's much more than just her hair, dear. It's… well… couldn't you at least try and keep those hands clean? And those clothes, they really make you like some tomboy who's been playing out on the streets." She gave a sniff, then shook her head. "You really have given up on being respectable, haven't you? You know, I did have hope for you, I really did. But you refused, you were too stubborn, always running off in the woods with that ridiculous, untamed brother of yours."

Every word a sharpened dagger. She always knew just the right words, the ones that could work their way through the small cracks in Jhade's walls, the ones that said she didn't care.

She had always tried to keep her hair silky and clean, sometimes weaving in into a braid and sticking flowers in when she was younger. She had always liked wearing pretty dresses, unsuited for the woods as they were. Now that she was an adventurer, any hope for a chance to wear something pretty had slipped away. And she was fine with that, mostly… it was just…

She had always wanted to become respectable. To finally… be worthy.

Jhade twisted herself out of Dagwood's grip, being careful not to look at him, and stumbled backwards. Her stomach twisted, her fingernails digging into her palm _. It's just words,_ she thought. _Just noise, meaningless noise. Blank it out, blank out your mind._ "If you're just here to insult me, I'll be on my way. We're just passing through."

"Come to stir up the rumors again, haven't you?" Ondine said, the fir in her eyes leaping higher. "As if you haven't ruined our reputation enough, what with your mother—"

"That's enough."

Jhade's gaze snapped to the side. Odell stood just beside her. His eyes were steely, holding a flicker of that hard, burning anger she'd seen when they'd faced Renaud.

"I've only known Jhade for maybe half a year but in that time, she has proven herself to be an excellent fighter, as well as a kind and compassionate healer. Those hand you just called filthy? They have saved countless lives, including my own, a hundred times over. She is the best healer I have ever known and has done more good in the time that I've known her than most do in a lifetime. You know nothing of whom you speak, Lady. So—" His hand reached up to scratch the back of his head, his fingers brushing against Shatterspike's hilt. "I suggest you keep your comments to yourself."

A strange tingling filled Jhade's chest at his words and she slowly released her clenched fists. She let out a short, quiet laugh, but wasn't quite sure why.

Ondine raised an eyebrow. "So, you must be Jhade's traveling companions. I'm surprised you decided to associate yourself with this riffraff."

Jhade's fist clenched, and for a second, she was tempted to give a very unladylike snarl, but Balasar spoke up, flashing a very large toothy grin. "Just a pirate, my lady. Just some 'riffraff' who made a bet with a god and lived to tell the tale. Just some 'riffraff' who could probably steal all the jewels from under your nose without you noticing."

Ondine lifted a hand to her mouth and began to splutter, and Owen began sidling sideways, tugging on Balasar's sleeve. "We should probably be going."

o

The rough wood of the rain barrel bit into Jhade's hand as she leaned over it, trailing her fingers across the water's surface. Soft voices, and the scent of freshly baked bread drifted through the door of the building beyond: two men haggling over the price of what sounded like an entire wheel of cheese.

Other than that, it was quiet.

 _"_ _If this town is anything like it was when I was last here, there's a high chance it's the most boring and mundane town you'll probably ever see."_ She had told them. " _There shouldn't be much of a problem with us splitting up. The Dragon's Tooth is a popular place for wizards to meet up and show off some of their skills, so one of us should definitely ask around there. I can take some of the more obscure places since I know my way around."_

Jhade's hand started shaking, and she gripped the edge tighter, digging her nails into the wood.

 _Why am I back?_

Had it been one of her half-siblings, perhaps? Last she knew, a few were studying to be wizards. Yes, that was possible. Zephar had always loved experimenting with spells. It was possible one of them had gone wrong, and summoned—

But what if it was Murdoch?

 _"_ _Always running off in the woods with that ridiculous, untamed brother of yours."_

A sniffle broke out, something dripping off her chin and splashing into the water. They never understood him. Not like she had. They didn't see him for what he truly was, a brother who'd taught her about adventure, who'd let her tag along with him and his "rebel band of pirates." Who'd never let anything get him down for long.

 _I miss you so much._

 _Why..._

"Why couldn't I save you?" Jhade said, her breath rippling the surface of the water. "Why can't I just do something right for once?" She let out a soft growl, scrubbing her hand through her hair, her stupid hair that refused to act like anything but a tangled mess. Another lump rose up in her throat, and she swallowed hard.

"Jhade?"

Jhade glanced over, then raised a hand to scrub away the wetness on her cheeks. "Odell, sorry I got a little distracted."

He took a step forward, his eyes soft, knowing. "Are you alright?"

"No." The answer was clipped. "I hate them. I mean, I don't but—she—she always knows just the right things to say. I shouldn't—" It was getting harder to talk over the choking sensation in her throat, clouding her words. "I sh-shouldn't care, it's just empty words but—all I wanted—I just wanted her approval so bad—and—"

"May I?"

Jhade looked up. Odell stood there with arms held open. She nodded through the tears that were now flowing down her cheeks, and he wrapped them around her, a warm barrier of protection.

"You know I meant everything I said."

"I know," she mumbled into his shoulder, and she meant it. She lifted her arms and held him tight, letting the shivering sobs run through her body. Perhaps she was being selfish; after all, he had been through so much already, but—

 _I'm here if you need me._

He was so kind.

A loud crash broke the silence. Jhade jerked back, whipping around to see what had caused the noise. In the same instant, Odell stepped in front of her, holding out a hand.

A red-haired elf, looking to be about just shy of twenty picked himself up from where he had somehow managed to fall, bottom first, into one of the rain barrels with a muttered "Horsefeathers."

Jhade blinked. Another person from her past, dumped right in front of her. This had to be one of the strangest days of her life. "Erik?" she said, her eyebrows furrowing together as she stepped out from behind Odell. "What on earth are you doing here?"

The elf started, then plastered on a sheepish grin, raising one hand to scratch at the back of his head. "Ah, well… funny story about that."

"You…" The pieces finally clicked into place. Jhade strode forward, then raised a hand to shove at his shoulder, her traces of misery now burning away into annoyance. " _You're_ the one who summoned us all here? Why on earth would you do something like that?"

Erik threw out his hands. "It was an accident, I swear! I was supposed to teleport you all somewhere else, but I got mixed up, and 'm really sorry, Jhade, really, I am."

Jhade took a long breath and turned back to the bewildered-looking Odell. "Odell, this is Erik, my scatterbrained druid friend who somehow managed to teleport us all here for some inexplicable reason."

"Actually," Erik said. "It's a pretty good reason. I mean, I was actually supposed to meet up with you guys and teleport you, Jhade, to High Forest so you could meet the archdruid, but the archdruid had to modify the teleportation spell since I didn't know where you were since you never got back to us about the Golthias tree, and I accidentally mixed things up so I got all of you, and I thought I was supposed to bring you to the place where he was first taken—"

"Erik," Jhade said. _Slow down, it's not what you think, it can't be._ "Why do I need to meet the archdruid?"

"It's about your brother, Jhade," Erik said. "We… we found Murdoch."

* * *

 _A/N: So, Jhade's backstory in a nutshell is that her father, Dagwood had a little "roll in the hay" with one of the poorer young women of the town. When the woman found out she was pregnant, she freaked and decided to give up her child (which turned out to be children, Jhade and Murdoch) before she disappeared. Lady Ondine, Dagwood's true wife, wasn't happy with the whole thing._

 _Also, fun fact: Ondine is the name of a nymph from a French folktale. She fell in love with a human and gave up her immortality for him, only to have him cheat on her later. I'd like to say that inspired Jhad'es backstory, but nah, I actually named her after one of the horses in BellaSara, and found out about that later. XD_


	3. Chapter 3

For the briefest of moments, everything was still. That moment when the shell hit the earth, right before the explosion.

Then—

"Well, I mean, we didn't _really_ find him, but—"

The world was breaking apart.

Glass fragments shattering in her ears, cutting into her skin, sinking into her blood and turning it boiling.

"You piece of toad piss!" Jhade shrieked. She grabbed Erik's collar and shoved him against the wall. Every muscle in her body shook. "You..." Her breath was coming in gasps. She couldn't even properly insult him. "You _mule's arse_. Why would you say that? Why would you… why… liar… you… _liar_ …"

 _They didn't really find him. It's just another dead end, not again, not again-_

"Jhade, y-you just gotta let me finish! I-I—"

His own breath came in gasps, his eyes wide.

 _Breathe for me…_

It sounded like Odell's voice, though spoken out loud or just in her head, she didn't know.

Breathe.

She didn't dare take her eyes off Erik, though she could barely see his face through the storm of emotions, but she could feel Odell's gaze on her.

She took in a shuddering breath and let it out, loosening her grip.

"Sorry. Erik. I'm sorry."

She was the one who was supposed keep a hold on her feelings, to be the one that spoke in even tones when everything was going wrong.

And yet, for the past couple hours, she had been anything but.

"Just… what do you mean you found him?" she said, fighting to keep her voice even.

"The archdruid… f-found a way to… unlock your memories," Erik said, pressing himself up against the wall and eyeing her. "She suspects that… your memory was wiped when Murdoch disappeared. That's why she wants to meet you in High Forest. So that you can finally know what happened to him… and stuff." He took a glance at Odell. "And, uh, it's technically an only-druids-allowed sort of meeting, so…"

"Right."

Jhade took another breath, glancing at Odell. His expression was difficult to make out, concern mixed with confusion, searching her just as she searched him. For a long moment she said nothing, her fingers working to tame the knots in her hair as her mind worked through the information.

She had always suspected her memories had been played with. She had heard tales of people who had no recollection of traumatic events, simply because their mind wasn't willing to take in the information, but… no. It had felt far stranger than that.

But what did this mean?

It was a thought she hardly dared to hope.

Such a dangerous thing.

Hope.

Distracting her.

Loosening that grip on her emotions.

"I—" Jhade's gaze jerked up to see Erik holding up a hand, as if afraid she might attack him again. "I know this is a lot for you to—"

She cut him off, cutting off her own stream of thoughts as well. "High Forest." It didn't matter what she thought. All that mattered was Murdoch. "We're taking the horses."

* * *

There was a certain magic in this place, one that hung in the air, one that crackled in the very blades of grass beneath her. Jhade let out a sigh and hugged her knees closer to her chest with one arm. With her other hand, she rubbed her thumb back and forth across River's reins. The dark colored mare let out a whuffling sigh and rubbed her wet muzzle against Jhade's cheek before returning to the much more serious task of tearing up the grass, scattering the tiny pieces of sparkling dew across the forest floor.

Jhade let her gaze drift upward towards the faraway branches of the Grandfather Tree. It really was aptly named. The lumpy roots felt like the embrace of a caring grandfather, twisted and gnarled though they were. Wisps of moss curled around the rough bark, like children begging for a bedtime story.

She couldn't help but smile at that thought.

 _Once there was a beautiful unicorn…_

Erik had said there were over a hundred unicorns in this forest. He really should be back now. That is, provided he hadn't gotten lost. Knowing Erik, it wasn't too unlikely.

"So, this is the famous Jhade Galanodel."

Jhade jumped to her feet, feeling the rein jerk in her hand as River shied away at the sudden movement, and saw a woman walking towards her, every step graceful as a deer. Dark green robes trailed over the ground behind her. Deep wrinkles carved down the side of her cheeks, her white hair almost glowing as it tumbled down her back in its loose braid.

Beside her… _oh_ … beside her stepped a real, live unicorn. The creature's body looked as delicate as a stag's, the muzzle small and dainty, the spiral horn curving slightly upward.

Jhade's felt her eyes grow wide, biting her lip to keep back a squeal _. I told you, Murdoch, I told you one day I'd find a unicorn._

The woman smiled, the wrinkles around her mouth deepening. She raised one hand, bumpy with blue veins, and ran it down the unicorn's neck. "Erik told me how much you loved unicorns, so I asked my friend, Adon, if he'd be willing to come along."

The unicorn dropped his head, letting out a snort. _You can stop staring at me now. I'm not that interesting._

Though his mouth didn't move, and no words carried over the air, his voice still sounded in her head. Telepathy.

"I think a certain _Violet_ would disagree," the woman said, letting out a soft, dry laugh.

The unicorn's ears flicked back, his face pulling into something almost like a grimace. _Sh-shut up you old hag! Besides, we've got more important things to be doing right now._

The woman's face twitched once more before she sobered. "I suppose you're right." She turned. "Jhade?"

At those words Jhade felt her mouth dry up.

"I—" She turned to River, eyes glancing toward the rein in her hand. "Just a second."

Jhade felt her fingers shaking as she slipped off the horse's bridle, replacing it with a simple rope halter, tying the lead to one of the smaller trees so River couldn't wander off. It was a simple precaution, one that she should have done earlier, but one that steadied her hands all the same. She turned back to the woman, clenching her hands into fists. "I'm ready."

"Come here, child," the woman said. "Now Adon, you just lay down, and Jhade you can sit down too. Put your hand on Adon's neck, yes, just like that. Now close your eyes and relax your body, your mind."

Her voice was soft and steady, the pads of her fingers pressing lightly against Jhade's hair. Jhade let her fingers tangle into Adon's mane, soft as corn silk, let the sounds of the forest wash over her.

"I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Muirna. I am the archdruid of these parts. I have lived here probably since the forest was first named. About fifty years ago, I met this stubborn young buck, Adon."

 _"_ _Jhade, c'mere, look at this!" The small boy with cowlicked black-brown hair comes running up, his hands carefully cupping something._

 _Jade turns her attention from where she's gazing slack-jawed at the clear sky, to the boy. She raises an eyebrow, then giggles, lifting a hand to poke at the dirt on his nose. "Do you know what Lady Ondine would say if she saw you with dirt on your nose, young Murdoch?" she says, voice deepening into the tone of melodramatic only used when imitating royals._

 _"_ _Yeah, yeah, 'a young lord should not have dirt on his nose; it's most unbecoming,'" He sticks out his lower lip and snorts, blowing a piece of hair out of his eyes. "Anywayyyy, I want ya to meet Sr Hopsalot." He opens his cupped hands just a fraction, revealing a small spotted frog._

 _"_ _Hehe, nice to meet you, Sir Hopsalot," Jhade says, leaning closer to grin at the frog. Then her nose wrinkles. "Uh, Murdoch? I think he peed on you."_

 _Murdoch's eyes grow huge, sparkling. "Sweet! I think that means he likes me!"_

 _Jhade rolls her eyes. "You're so gross." She plops back down on the grass, watching as clouds gather in the sky. The temperature cools. The birds grow silent._

 _And two men step out of the trees. They are tall, impossibly tall, and their bushy beards make them look like bears instead of people._

 _"_ _Well, this is interesting," one of the men says, raising a hand to scratch at his beard._

 _Jhade shrinks back, ready to run, but Murdoch simply stands there, eyebrows furrowed into a confused frown._

 _"_ _Who are you?"_

 _The second man clears his throat. When he speaks, his voice is so deep Jhade feels her heart vibrate in her chest. "We are servants of Malar, god of the hunt, king of werewolves. As it is, we are looking for strong young men such as yourself to join us."_

 _"_ _To serve Malar," the first man says._

 _"_ _Murdoch, come on!" Jhade steps forward, trying to grab his wrist, but he pulls away. Something flickers in his eyes for a moment._

 _She knows that look. It's the look that says he's considering something really stupid. Something that he knows is stupid but he wants to do it anyway._

 _Then he blinks, and it clears, his hands cupping tighter together._

 _"_ _Nah. Not interested in hunting. Sure, I like the meat, but I like looking at live animals, not dead ones." He turns away but can't help but add: "But I like frogs the best."_

 _"_ _What a shame." The men exchange smiles that make Jhade's blood run cold. She opens reached out to grab Murdoch, to run—_

 _But then—_

 _Everything—_

 _Is blue._

 _And the screaming—_

 _Sounding like someone is being ripped apart. Can't even speak. Can't form words, just letting that sound rip through the throat, stripping it raw._

 _And Murdoch—_

 _Is gone._

* * *

Jhade jerked her hand off Adon's mane. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed the heel of her palm against her forehead, trying to slow her breathing.

"Now you know why I asked you to sit down." A soft _tsk._ "That poor boy."

Jhade's eyes flicked back open, one arm wrapping around her body. "You saw… my memories?"

"Now, don't worry, I only saw that one bit," Muirna said, a small smile on her face.

"Who were those people? Who's Malar? Where did they take him?"

Adon shook his head, his furry ears twitching back and forth. _Not surprised, you being one of those "nice" druids. He's one of the crazy gods, obsessed with brutal hunting and death and blood and all that. His followers aren't much better._ _They sometimes do this thing where they send out a humanoid into the woods and hunt him d—uh, but that practice is pretty rare._

"No," Muirna said, shaking her head, "it sounded like they wanted to recruit him more than anything. And if you haven't seen him after all these years, it's quite possible he's with them still."

"Held captive," Jhade said. "He wouldn't join them. He's not like that."

"As a protector of this forest, and the animals in it, I have been keeping an eye on those Malarites, as they call themselves," Muirna said. "There is a certain group of Malarite cultists who have been growing in numbers. They leave High Forest alone, so in return, I leave them alone, but if your brother is with the Malarites, he'll be with them. I've a map back at my home that'll point you in the right direction."

Jhade nodded. "Thank you. I—I've got a group of friends that'll probably be wanting to join me on this… quest." She strode over to River and pulled at the knot connecting the mare to the tree. "Hopefully this place is near where we're staying."

"If you could tell me where they are, I could easily relay the message to them," Murina said, her eyes twinkling. "I am a bit more… skilled at teleportation than our dear friend Erik, and I'm sure you're eager to set off on your quest."

There it was again. _Quest_. It was a was a word that made her heart skip a little. A noble quest, like the ones the knights and wizards would set out on, to bring a little good about in the world. Not to find treasure, or to wipe out a civilization, or even to kill an evil baron.

To rescue a brother.

 _Finally._


	4. Chapter 4

Jhade spun slowly, watching the cloak ripple around her body, almost more liquid than solid. She let out a long breath and glanced one more time at the scribbled-out map before shoving into one of the cloak's many pockets.

"I really don't know how to thank you, Muirna," Jhade said, trying to force a smile onto her face, despite the knot forming in her stomach. "You don't know how annoying it is, having to put all my armor—not to mention clothes—on after I change back into my regular form. And, thank you. For—for Murdoch. I—" She was stumbling, her cursed tongue not knowing which words to put where.

Muirna chuckled. "Oh, the stories I could tell you about that particularly embarrassing quirk of the druids… As for your brother, no need to thank me. I only wish that I could come with on the adventure, but…" Her gaze drifted up towards the swaying branches of the Grandfather Tree. "I made a promise to this forest, long ago, and I intend to keep it."

"Of course, I—"

An ear-screeching yelp split the forest, a blast of white light, and a wolf—no, a _werewolf_ crashed through the brush, opening its mouth to drop something. After a second's glance up at the two druids, it whimpered and ran.

It was only then that Jhade realized she had jumped into her fighting stance, staff at the ready. She glanced over to see Muirna smirking broadly ( _She must have been the one that hit it,_ Jhade thought), before turning her attention to the thing the werewolf had dropped.

Oh, heavens.

"Oh my…" she said. "Odell?"

He looked up at her, his breathing heavy and slightly erratic. His shoulder looked as though it had been dislocated— _again_ —although she couldn't see the full extent of his injuries. His hands were bleeding, his nails broken and his fingers showing evidence of more than a few scratches.

 _What on earth happened?_

"Oh, hey, Jhade," he said, before clearing his throat. "How'd your meeting with the archdruid go?"

Muirna placed her hands on her knees and leaned over Odell, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "So much for teleporting them, eh?"

Jhade resisted the urge to roll her eyes and smack them both over the head. This was hardly a lighthearted situation.

Odell's face transformed into a sheepish grin, obviously realizing his mistake. "Sorry. Uh… the archdruid, I presume."

"Mm. You would be correct." She held out a hand for him. "One of Jhade's friends, I presume?"

He nodded back, echoing her "You would be correct," before accepting her hand. With ease that surprised even Jhade, she had him back on his feet, his dislocated shoulder pushed back into place within a matter of seconds.

Odell let out a surprised yelp, his knees crumpling to the forest floor. "Freakin' ahhhh—" He hissed in pain, hand grabbing the joint. "A little warning would have been nice."

"What happened to you?" Jhade said, trying to hold her voice at a normal volume. She glanced over his shoulder, but the werewolf was long gone.

"Werewolves," Odell said, his voice soft as he stood back up for the second time. It was only then that Jhade saw the full extent of his injuries. His neck was covered in blood, his lip split, his once clean sleeves dotted with blood and grime. Jhade bit her lip, her chest tightening. She shouldn't have left them alone, she was their healer.

Healers didn't let their companions get hurt.

At least… not like this.

"I'm okay, really," Odell said. "Just a bit busted up, nothing serious." He gave a short laugh, but it sounded forced. "You never mentioned there were werewolves around here."

"There… there didn't used to be."

As she spoke the words, something inside Jhade tightened, hardened. Werewolves. _Werewolves in my hometown._

The fierceness of the thought almost startled her. She's never cared for this place.

Except for the animals, living peacefully out in the woods.

Except for Daniel, the stableboy who was kindness itself. Except for the old shopkeeper who'd laughed and offered Murdoch a job for when he was older (which Murdoch had immediately refused).

Except for them.

"They are just a sampling of some of those that worship Malar. I managed to scare it away just now. Usually they keep away from the town, keep out of the High Forest, but this is much closer than they have been in a long time." Muirna turned to look at Jhade. Her eyes had lost their twinkle. "You must act quickly, my dear. I fear that perhaps this situation is worse than we originally believed."

Jhade bit the inside of her cheek and nodded, refusing to think about what the woman's words were implying. _They're getting bolder._

"Where are the others?" It was a question that came automatically, without much thought. Those thoughts were filled with one thing right now: _Murdoch._

"They're not too far behind; the fight took a lot out of them."

"…Fight?"

Once again, she struggled to listen, to focus her mind, when so many things were crowding it.

"Yeah. I'm telling you, werewolves are rough. Owen's pretty beat up, but he's alright, nothing too bad. I think Balasar is too, but he was out of magic…juice? I don't really know how that works, but he was out of whatever mojo he has to make things explode."

"How did you get out of there, then?"

"I uh… I went for a ride, I guess?"

 _Of course, that werewolf had dropped him out of his mouth._ She should have known, she would have if her mind would just _stop_ for one second… _Poor Odell._

She scrunched her nose. "That… doesn't sound nice."

"No. No, it was not," he said, and she believed him.

"Right. We should get back to them." _Get back, go find Murdoch. Simple._

She grabbed River's reins from where she had looped them around a tree branch—small wonder the mare hadn't run off at the sight of the werewolf—and sprang onto the mare's back. "Will you be alright to ride?"

"Should be." He took her hand and heaved himself up behind her. River's ears twitched back, and she stomped a hoof at the extra weight, and Jhade almost smiled.

"Good luck," she heard Erik call, and frowned. How long had he been spying on them…?

She felt Odell jerk behind her. "Jeezums man. How long have you been—?"

Jhade bit back a snort and kicked River with more force than necessary, causing the mare to kick up her heels with a snort, before bursting into a quick canter.

She didn't like the way Murdoch's face had flickered.

"Are you okay?" Odell asked, his voice quiet.

Someone laughed, a dry sound, bitterness tinging the edges.

"Am I okay? Am… am I…" That rough leather in her hands. Dry, cracked, in need of a good oiling. "Honestly I don't know. We think… we think Murdoch was k—" Forcing the words out, making them real "—kidnapped. He's—he's probably still there, at some cultist's place, I'll be able to show you—"

Stop. That was assuming he'd come along. She couldn't assume.

She swallowed, feeling the last of her stubbornness and pride go down in that gulp. Murdoch was more important than those things.

"I…" She let out a long, shaky breath. "I won't ask you to—"

 _Please._

"You don't have to." Pressure on her shoulder, a gentle squeeze. "If you want me to be, I'll be there."

Warmth bloomed in her chest, lifting her chin, just as her shoulders relaxed under his touch.

"Thank you, Odell."

"Always, Jhade."

Jhade leaned low over River's neck and squeezed her legs against the mare's sides, even though the mare was already going at quite a brisk canter. Wind whistled in her ears, her pounding heart keeping time with the mare's pounding hoofbeats.

"Any time you'd like to inform us as to why, exactly, we're going to this group of cultists, that would be wonderful," Balasar called out from his place at the rear of the party. To be fair, his mount, Bolt, was trying his best.

Jhade glanced back just in time to see Odell shoot him a look before downing another healing potion. Since they had those in excess, they decided to use them to repair the worst of their injuries and set out right away.

"You mean, besides getting back at them for setting werewolves on you?" Jhade called back.

Balasar urged the large black stallion forward, so that he was nearly next to Jhade. "You've been acting strange lately," he said, frank as ever. "You're distracted. And I want to know why."

"I'm not distracted." _Yes, you are._

"You're the only one is this party who's any good at healing spells," the dragonborn continued, his face as calm and undisturbed as ever. "It is imperative to this party that you stay focused. So—" He cleared his throat. "You may as well tell us what's bothering you."

Was that… _concern_ in his voice?

Balasar, the one who loved nothing more than to cause the occasional dismembered limb, explosions and general mayhem… was _concerned?_

She glanced down, rubbing the reins back and forth between her thumb and fingers. "While I was gone… I found out these cultists… they're holding someone captive," she said, glancing back to make sure Owen heard as well. _Don't think about who, don't break down, please._ "Someone… from my town. Someone close to me."

"Do you know why?" Owen asked.

Jhade shook her head. "No. No I don't."

The air hung with the smell of ash. A fine layer of the stuff coated everything, from the ground, where a few blades of grass were struggling to push their way up, to the blackened sticks that had once been trees.

Directly in front of them lay a large stone temple, the jagged edges reaching up to scrape against the clouds of ash that hung in the air. From what Jhade could see, ivy had once tried to ramble up the side, but like everything else, it was burned black.

Her entire body was trembling, her very soul quivering inside her chest. If this was what they did to their land… what had they done to her brother?

River let out a piercing neigh, jerking Jhade back into the real world as the mare reared under her.

Two stone creatures, shaped somewhat like lions were crouched in front of the small group, snarls rippling from their gray throats as their crumbling tails, brushed with lichen, lashed back and forth.

Jhade flung out her hand, her mouth opening to say the thornwhip spell. Before she could speak, A blast of fire collided with the stone monster. Bits of stone crashed down onto the gray-speckled ground. For a second, Jhade blinked, unsure of what had just happened. Then she glanced back and caught a glimpse of Balasar's grin.

A howl to her right. She jerked her head towards it just in time to see Shatterspike collide with the other monster's head, cleaving it from its body. Odell let out a short huff, reaching up with his free hand to rub his shoulder. "Didn't think that'd actually work."

She glanced at him, then back at the bits of rubble. Distracted. Unable to focus on the danger at hand since she was so focused on the danger her brother might be in.

But then she caught Odell's quick glance towards her, that split second check he did to make sure she was alright. Then Owen's soft, reassuring smile, Balasar straightening his hat before dismounting and sweeping aside the rubble with one booted foot.

" _You don't have to carry this burden alone."_

And something eased inside of her.

They left the horses outside the temple. A bit unfair to the horses that had served them so well over the past few months, but there was no use bringing them inside and causing even more noise. They decided that the best way to do things would be like they usually did them, try to stay out of sight and gather information, fighting if necessary.

Odell took up the lead like usual, Balasar in the back, and Owen slipping along like a shadow somewhere in the middle. Jhade trailed behind Odell, a little slower, a little farther behind than usual.

She stepped carefully from one pool of light to the next, feeling the air warm, then cool as she passed by each torch. Odell kept glancing back at her. Light flickered off Shatterspike's blade as it swayed back and forth gently in time with his footsteps.

It felt like a lifetime ago that he'd gotten that sword. Back on their first adventure together. Back when they'd met up in that hole of a bar, when she was just a lonely druid apprentice looking for cheap ale to lift her spirits for a bit.

A low muttering slipped into Jhade's ears and she tensed. Ahead of her she saw Odell raise his sword.

"Oh, great Malar, god of werewolves and provider of the most precious prey that we hunt…" The speaker droned on, sounding completely uninterested in what he was saying.

Jhade felt her jaw clench. She strode forward, pushing past Odell and rounding the corner. A short, pudgy man sat in front of some sort of alter surrounded by candles, continuing to mutter.

Within second, Jhade had her scimitar resting against his neck. She much preferred magic attacks over physical weapons, but right now she was in the mood for holding someone at swordpoint. "Get up."

"Oh my!" the man squeaked, whirling to face them, his robes crinkling at the movement. "Visitors!"

Jhade blinked. The man hadn't been kneeling down. He was a gnome, a gnome wearing robes that were much, much too long for him. It was enough to throw her off for half a second, and by that time the small gnome had pushed her blade aside and threw out his hands as if to embrace her.

She stepped back so that she was standing next to Odell. The blacksmith was gripping Shatterspike with both hands, his eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice low.

"My name is Aston Gimble Rasdon Fellen Nesni Yospos Manarb. But I suppose you can just call me Aston. Now," he said, clasping his hands together and leaning forward. "I can't tell you how pleased I am that we've got guests! I don't know how long it's been, I'll have to give you the full tour—"

Jhade jerked her scimitar back up. "Stop." She said. "Stop blabbering and tell me where I can find Murdoch the half-elf."

"Murdoch?" For a second the gnome's face scrunched. "You couldn't possibly mean Murdoch Galanodel?"

She didn't answer.

Galanodel.

She didn't need to turn around to know Owen and Balasar were putting together the pieces.

The gnome cocked his head, his mouth sliding into a werewolf's grin. "Oh hoh, so you've heard of our young… what do they call him? Ah yes, our 'magnate.' He's a bit busy at the moment, but I certainly will be able to take you to him." His grin widened. "We do love when visitors come."

Why were they fighting?

They should have beaten this man long ago. If that's what he was. But, the stupid idiot… he kept dodging their attacks.

(Aston had left them here with a wink, letting them know he'd be back. Mere seconds later a man appeared in his place, more giant than human. But still human. Still easily beatable. Or so she'd thought.)

Jhade let out a yelp and jumped back, feeling the man's knife skim across her fur, ruffling the hairs. A long knife, halfway between dagger and sword, double-edged.

She'd shifted into her dire wolf form. She'd be faster this way. ( _Because this way she didn't have to try and explain why she'd followed Aston, she should have known better than to follow him anywhere.)_

Because she now had her druid's cloak and didn't have to worry about loosing her clothes or equipment when she transformed. ( _Because she wanted to save at least one healing spell for when they found her brother—when things—if things went wrong. They were going pretty wrong already.)_

Because she didn't like the sight of red blood staining her already mud-splattered sleeve—a lucky slash on her arm that she should have dodged.

 _(Because wanted to feel her teeth sink into this man's flesh—)_

 _(The very man who had taken her brother.)_

She let out another snarl, the sound bouncing around the small tunnel, lit by out by the flames of the flames of Balasar's failed magic attacks. She lunged at the huge man, but he twisted out of the way and her teeth closed over empty air. There was a glimpse of a smile pushing up his long, tangled beard, then he swung the knife at Owen, who was struggling to get up, blood dripping from the back of his leg.

 _Owen, move!_ she screamed, but all that came out was a high-pitched yelp. The thief jerked his own dagger up, just in time to parry. Odell took the opportunity to rush forward, swinging Shatterspike…

It all happened so fast.

A sickening sound, a crunch, a squelch.

The man had turned away, but not quick enough. His beefy arm was raised. Shatterspike had cracked clean through his leather arm guard.

His knife was buried up to the hilt in Odell's side.

 _"_ _Dad!"_

The word ripped out, a strangled howl. She dug her claws in and lunged forward. Her body slammed into the man's and they tumbled to the ground, paws pinning his shoulders to the ground, letting her claws sliding out.

Then his widened eyes crinkled.

"Jhade," he said in that bass voice that she now remembered. "So nice of you to come back. You really have turned into an excellent hunter."

She snarled, about to—

Then the pain exploded in her right side. It felt like her lung had erupted into fire, the pain flooding down her side.

Silence.

The world had whited out.

And everything was silent.


	5. Chapter 5

" _Jhade."_

Someone was calling her name, their voice muffled, as if speaking through a wad of blankets.

She didn't want to listen. She didn't want to get up, her body was too heavy.

The cloak was warm around her shivering body. She gave a mumbled groan and curled deeper into the soft fabric, enjoying the sense of protection it gave her.

"Jhade, please, you have to get up!"

The voice was louder now, more urgent.

 _...Owen?_

The thought was sluggish.

Then the smell hit her nose.

Meat. Blood. Bone.

The sound of ripping and tearing. The sound of flesh on bone, being devoured by a thousand hungry mouths. Chewing. Swallowing.

Laughter. Cheers.

Jhade jerked into an upright position, then let out a strangled yelp, one hand flying to her ribs. She tried to take a deep breath in, but pain shot through her side, rippling towards her back and shoulder, wiping out her vision for a split second. Her hand felt sticky.

Cold fear trickled down her arm.

"Where are we?" she whispered between shallow breaths, her head between her knees. "What's going on?"

No answer.

Jhade lifted her head ever so slightly and blinked open her eyes. Staring back at her was a low stone wall, low enough so she could see the rows of benches crammed with people at the other side of the enormous room, jostling each other as they crammed fistfuls of meat into their mouths.

They were in some small, boxed in area. _Like the king and queen's spot at a gladiator's arena,_ Jhade thought.

A wet cough.

Jhade's eyes flew towards the sound, and saw Odell attempting to heave himself off the floor. Balasar was leaning against a wall, his face dark, smoldering with anger, nostrils smoking slightly. Owen had both hands wrapped around his leg.

"Odell, stay down," was the first thing she whispered. "I'll help you in a minute. Besides, I don't think we should let them know we're awake."

"They took all the healing potions," Owen said, his eyebrows drawing together as he glanced at her.

"They took all our armor," Balasar snarled from his corner.

Jhade lifted her head and reached with one unbloodied hand into a pocket in her cloak. She felt her hand brush against soft cotton, and felt she shoulders slump. "They didn't take everything." After a quick glance over the wall to make sure no one was coming, Jhade withdrew a wad of bandages. "Owen, can you come help me?" she said.

The thief nodded, and at her instruction, held the folded piece of cloth against her ribs where that bastard had got his lucky shot. What an idiot she'd been. She wrapped the bandage around the area, over her blood-soaked shirt, careful not to constrict her already limited breathing. The slow movement steadied her hands. This was where she knew what she was doing. Where she didn't have to think, where she could simply let the movements take over while she concentrated on calming her mind.

She shoved another roll into Owen's hands, then stumbled over to Odell, pain shooting through her side at every inhale.

He had managed to pull himself up into a half-sitting position, both hands clamped over his lower abdomen, blood leaking through the cracks in his fingers, sucking in breath after breath through his nose.

It was a coarse, sawing sound, but at the time, Jhade never was more grateful for it.

"Hey," she said, keeping her voice soft. "Hey, Odell, look at me, can you do that? It's going to be okay, I know what I'm doing, I just need you to keep your hands there…" It wasn't much more than noise, something for him to focus on, and every word sent ripples of pain. A cough rose up from her chest and for a second, she turned away, letting it rattle through her body, almost shivering from the force of the pain.

"Jhade…" A hand lightly touched her shoulder, a hand reddened with his own blood. This time she did shiver. Too much blood. She turned back to see Odell, his eyes concerned as he looked her over. Yet there was so much else in that gaze, almost… desperation?

"I'll be alright," she mumbled, reaching out with one hand and placing it on top of his, reaching out with her magic to probe the wound.

Her eyes shot open, wide and staring.

"That bad, huh?" Odell said, a bit of morbid humor creeping into the edges of his voice.

"No…" Jhade shook her head. "It's…"

Strange.

"There's skin and muscle damage, yes, but that's all the knife hit. Everything else is fine." She swallowed, placing the wad of cloth over the area, then got to work wrapping it with bandages. They would need to clean it, but what mattered now was stopping the bleeding. "Why?"

"Because maybe they want their prey alive and stable," Balasar said from where he was standing at the low stone wall. "Before they have another go at it."

Jhade's gaze darted towards him, another shiver of cold sweeping through her body. "What? What are you talking about?" She started to stand, but—

"Jhade—" There it was again, that hand on her arm. Odell. He swallowed, seeming to debate before simply saying, "Careful."

She gave a small nod and went to stand beside Balasar. Maybe twenty feet below them lay a small dirt arena. At first, the dust was too thick to make anything out.

It didn't cut out of the sounds.

Snarling. Roaring. Hissing.

The sound of blood and bone, two animals locked in struggle. For one to live, the other would die.

A black bear. A giant lizard.

The black bear had its jaws clamped around the lizard's throat, had the reptile pinned beneath its claws. The lizard squirmed, its forked tongue flicking out as it hissed, and the crowd booed, shouts of anger filling the arena.

Silent and fluid, little more than a shadow, a hooded figure jumped onto the bear's back. He whipped out a javelin, twirling it around his fingers before plunging it into the creature's flesh. The animal let out a piercing roar.

A death cry.

The crowd's hisses dissolved into cheers, their voices raising into a chant, echoing the thud of her heart.

( _She knew that swagger, the way he added a flourish to every movement, just to show off he could.)_

He leaped back down into the dirt and gave a sweeping bow before throwing back his hood.

 _(He just killed it, he killed it without a second thought.)_

A hand reached up to push back his dark hair. Bright green eyes swept over the crowd before locking onto hers.

He grinned, his mouth opening to let out one small sentence. Four words would mean nothing on their own.

But together...

"Took you long enough."

… _Murdoch._

* * *

 _A/N: Shorter chapter this time, but the cliffhanger was too good to pass up. Just one or two chapters after this! Unfortunately, I'm not sure how soon they will be coming out, as I've been slipping in my writing. And while I do have the whole story written out, everything after this was basically "how fast can I get this over with?" So I might be doing some heavy revising and adding more scenes and shtuff. Which might take a bit._

 _Until then, review! :D_


	6. Chapter 6

Jhade stared, feeling the rivets of liquid flow down her bleeding heart.

 _Not like this_.

What was she expecting? That they'd just shoved him in a corner somewhere and let him do what he wanted? That she'd be able to rush in and make a daring escape, just like they'd do when they were kids?

Of course.

They were going to push him over to their side. It was why they had captured him in the first place.

 _(I thought he'd be strong—)_

No. She wasn't even going to finish that fragile, half-formed thought. She didn't know what he'd been through. She couldn't even begin to understand.

Murdoch _—no, that wasn't Murdoch, that wasn't really her brother—_ strode forward to the edge of the area throwing his arms over the railing and grinning up at her.

"Ladies and gents, it's finally time to meet our new contestant. You all remember Jhade, don't you?"

Whistles and cheers. He was always the performer.

Murdoch's grin widened. "The mystery girl, the 'Black Orchid.'" He gave a horselike snort. "I still remember when you were trying to run away with that pot of chocolate and tripped instead."

Jhade stopped, the memory flashing across her eyes, jerking her out of her stupor. She hadn't even realized she had climbed over the small barrier, beginning her descent down the stairs. Towards him.

She was closer now.

Close enough to see how bruised and beaten his face was, how his chest kept heaving as he spoke. That way he was cradling his left arm. Close enough to see the pain spark in his eyes as he spoke the next words. "Was beginning to think you weren't coming to visit after all."

Then the grin she thought she had known so well reappeared on his face. But it was different. There was void where once there had been mischief and play, a thousand possibilities of adventure.

There was nothing.

 _(Or had it always been like that?)_

He cocked his head to the side. "Let's play a game. You. Me. A good scuffle between siblings. Whoever wins comes along with other." He paused, tilting his head to the other side and letting the grin tug at his face. Blood trickled from a cut on his temple. "I'll even let you in on a certain… we'll call it a secret power enhancer. 'Cause let's face it. A sentient table could take you out right now." He jerked his head past her, towards her companions. "Choose one of them. Take their blood. We'll make it into a potion for you. Their life force to restore yours."

Jhade's heart banged against her chest. She didn't move. She didn't look away from where her eyes were locked onto his dull green ones, full to the brim of emptiness.

He didn't want to be rescued.

"I'll do it."

Jhade's gaze snapped back, meeting none other than Odell's blue eyes. He still had one hand pressed against his blood-soaked bandages, standing straight as he could and trying to look strong when he was so obviously anything but.

"Interesting choice, eh, Jhade?" Murdoch said, drumming his fingertips against the iron railing. "When it comes down to it, who do you want more? Your brother or your… what, your 'substitute' family?"

 _I just want my brother back._

With every fiber of her being, Jhade wanted to reach out and grab him by the arms, to convince herself that he was really there. To take him away from this horrid place.

"Substitute family," Murdoch had called them. They weren't…

No.

They were her real family.

She glanced back at Odell.

Distracted. This whole time she'd been distracted, her attention flitting between her companions and her quest.

 _I'm tired of having to choose._

The thought was quiet, but with a growl behind it. A tiger's growl.

 _No one dies. Not today._

"Whatever games these cultists are playing, I'm not interested. I'm getting you out of here, without their blood." She felt her lip curling in a snarl. "I'm getting you back, Murdoch."

He quirked an eyebrow up, letting out a small "heh." "Or maybe I'll just kill you."

The spark rising up her flickered violently. _He didn't mean that, he wouldn't kill me…_

"You said if I beat you, you'd come with me."

"Sure, but..." He shrugged, stepping back from the railing and spreading his arms. "Guess I just changed my mind. Fights to the death are a lot more fun."

Jhade didn't take her eyes off him as she carefully climbed over the small railing, landing in the dirt arena with a small thud. Her eyes took in every inch of him, wanting to soak in all the details she had missed for the past decade and a half, yet barely able to look.

That smattering of freckles. The wild dark brown hair.

That empty grin.

 _Why did he have to be broken?_

She pulled her quarterstaff from the folds of her cloak, loosening her throat to pull out the single word.

"Why?"

"Cause I can." He pulled out his knife and began tossing it from hand to hand. "Cause I finally have the power to do something."

 _Why couldn't she just go back to the times when they were kids, before he got kidnapped, before all this?_

"When you're a kid, everyone's always telling you what to do, what to think. Everyone's more powerful than you and no one takes you seriously. Your own sister is getting… they're making her cry and you can't go after the people who are hurting her." The grin dropped, his lip curling into a snarl. "Because you're too _weak."_

She saw the twitch of his arm and threw herself into a diving roll, the flash of sparks flying across her vision. Something like pain drove deeper into her side at the movement, but that wasn't important right now. She had to keep him talking, buying those precious seconds of peace while her mind raced.

There had to be some way to talk him out of this, break whatever hold was on him.

Had they put some sort of enchantment on him? It would explain the empty look in his eyes. If only she could cast a detection spell for magic… no, that wouldn't have worked. Even without the spell, the magic in the air was so thick, she felt as if she was breathing it in. There would be no way—

"I was so scared of her. Ondine. She called it 'righteous punishment.' It didn't get that bad, except maybe once or twice. Enough so I knew I couldn't stand in her way any longer."

Jhade felt her back bump up against the wall of the arena. That bruise on his cheekbone. That flash of fear in his eyes.

"Murdoch…." How had she not noticed? "I didn't… I…"

"I didn't want you to know." He lifted an arm, swiping at the blood running down his face with the back of his hand. "It was… embarrassing. But that doesn't matter. I've finally got power. Malar has given me power." He took another step towards her, grinning wolfishly. Jhade didn't move, though her body remained tense, ready to dodge at any second. "Now I don't have to listen to anyone ever again."

 _Think…_

"Now—" Murdoch stopped. The grin dropped from his face. His palms flew to his face, a small gasp freezing in the air. Then his hands dropped and— _Murdoch._

It was him. That was her brother. And yet—she had never seen him so terrified. Eyes so desperate and wild— _full of life_ —silently screaming for help.

"Jhade," he gasped, his voice no more than a whisper. "Jhade you have to kill me. They—they did something to me—you have to kill me— _PLEASE_ it's the only way— _JHADE!"_

He sprang forward, his body twisting into some sort of giant reptile—like the dragon they had once fought, except now she was on her own.

She couldn't hurt him.

Dirt spewed from under her boots as she sprinted to her left, reaching down inside to summon her magic, to pull her form into that of a dire wolf, a tiger, anything, anything fast, _run…_

Nothing. Nothing except the crack of her back against the stone wall, knocking what little air she had left in her lungs out of her body.

There was no pain.

Every short hair standing on end, every muscle dripping with adrenaline.

 _And she was going to die._

White.

Red and white.

And power ripping through her, exploding, a wave of thunder flooding through the air. Destroying everything in its path.

Then she was on her knees, gasping for breath, clinging onto that one last scrap of life that was keeping her conscious with both hands. Listening to the silence. Closing her eyes and drinking in that silence for just a second.

That split second of peace—

Before she opened her eyes.

Thunderwave. The most powerful spell she knew. The one she had never used before, for fear of catching one of her companions in its radiating and merciless crossfire.

What

have _I done?_

"Murdoch."

A whimper more than anything else. His bloody, limp body crumpled in the dirt. Motionless.

No.

That one simple word.

The small thud as her knees hit the dirt.

The brush of her fingertips against scorched cloth, across the scratchy stubble on his cheek, digging into his wiry dark hair, smoothing it over and over with her fingers.

"I'm sorry."

A choked whisper, over and over and over. As if those words could bring him back.

Gathering up his limp body in her arms, feeling that last bit of warmth seeping into her own body. Feeling the rapid, unsteady thudding of his heartbeat under her fingers.

Feeling his heartbeat.

That last spark of life.

"Odell!" she screamed. When wasn't quite sure why she called for him, _she_ was the healer after all, maybe it was the second flood of adrenaline mixing up her thoughts.

Murdoch made the smallest noise, the weakest groan she had ever heard, and she pulled him closer, letting his cheek sink onto her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around his waist, one hand gently stroking down his back, letting her last drops of healing power drip out of her fingers. His breathing steadied, just as hers did.

"They're gone, Jhade."

It was Odell's voice, so quiet she didn't even flinch. She was too tired to flinch, barely able to lift her eyes to meet his.

"They all ran out once you hit him. I think… whatever power Malar had over them is gone. They looked at each other, confused, and ran." One hand reached up, scratching his beard. "They just… left."

Jhade's breath caught in her throat. A delicate sound, lost in the stillness of the deserted room.

Did this mean…

It felt like a false hope. That it would all work out. That somehow, things were actually going to work out.

 _I just don't want to hurt anymore._

He kept slipping away. She couldn't let him slip again.

Wait. What was she doing? This wasn't the time for this—Murdoch—he—he was still hurt—

She whipped her head up to look fully at Odell, hearing her own voice while her mind sluggishly tried to keep up.

"We have to get him back to the archdruid. A-all of you, you're hurt—I don't have any healing left—we have to get somewhere safe—we have to get out of here—Please—"

Odell simply nodded, quietly scooping Murdoch up into his arms. He looked so small and delicate—safe, _here…_

And Jhade found she could breathe again.

"Easy, Murdoch," Jhade whispered, her hands working gently as she taped off the bandage she had wrapped around his forehead. Her brother simply let out a small groan, one hand clenching tighter over Odell's old shirt.

He'd halfway regained consciousness on their way back, only to mutter "I want a different shirt."

Beside her Muirna let out a soft sigh, reaching out one wrinkled hand to place over Jhade's. "You've been taught well."

Jhade gave her a half-hearted smile. "I wish I could simply heal him with magic."

Muirna had been able to purify the last traces of dark magic that had been left on Murdoch, but she had remarked that for a time his body would be sensitive to all magic, and would likely violently reject any attempts to be healed by magic.

"N-not that I'm ungrateful—" Jhade spluttered. "I—ah—"

The old druid simply laughed the sparkle Jhade had come to know returning to her eye. "No need, my dear. You drove out an entire clan of Malar's followers. It's the least I can do. Now, I'm going to go find that young Adon, see if we can't mix up something for young Murdoch."

With a speed that was almost astonishing, Muirna disappeared into the woods, leaving Jhade alone with her brother.

It was the first time she'd really gotten a chance to look at him. It looked like he'd aged at the same rate as her, though his face was still clean shaven, making him look younger. More vulnerable. His hair was still that wild dark mess, though slightly more obedient than she remembered.

But he was here.

Then Murdoch jerked.

He bolted into a sitting position, coughing and hacking, eyes open and wild—terrified.

"Murdoch—" Jhade said, hands reaching out to grab his shoulders. "It's okay, you're okay. It's just me. You're safe."

Saying it out loud.

"You're home."

Making it real.

"And—and we can go look for frogs again, and—" Her voice cracked, tears beginning to slip out of her eyes.

Murdoch looked at her—he really looked at her, before half rolling his eyes, though his breathing was still unsteady. "Jeez, Jhade."

It sounded so much like him, so much like it had before, except it wasn't just a memory, it was real—

Her arms wrapped around his waist, drawing him into a hug, feeling her body shake with sobs, just like she had done to Odell all those months ago.

 _I just want my brother back_.

But now it was from joy. From feeling his arms around her, holding him, holding him and never wanting to let go.

There would be time to talk it all over later. Time for healing and rebuilding, of slips along the way, pain slipping through the cracks of their broken lives.

And there would be to time to talk things over with Odell, to let him know with a laugh that she still wanted to adventure with him, that they were family, and family stuck together.

But right now, all she could feel were her arms wrapped around a brother who had been lost for so long. Feeling his heart thudding in her ear.

Because she realized,

sometimes _,_

there was a happy ending after all.

* * *

 _A/N: And there you go, the final chapter of Black Orchid! I was thinking about extending the battle scene, and I might go and do it later (I kinda suck at battle scenes, so I kept it short, heh) but I'm a bit burnt out on this story and ready to move onto the next, sooooo I decided to leave it as is._

 _But I really hope you enjoyed Black Orchid!_


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